Not a Date
by Teagarden
Summary: Van Kiryuin encounters a harried Haruka running an errand and offers to help her out. Afterwards, he insists on taking her on a "not a date" outing. Takes place post SSS. Contains minor spoilers for season 4.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I just finished episode 6 of season 4 and had this scenario pop into my head. While I understand why the guys in Haruka's life don't confess their feelings for her, I found it really refreshing for a guy to be like "Hey, I like you and we get along. Want to go out?" I figured Van deserved some love for his guts and honesty.

Haruka checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time. Late. She was going to be late. She quickened her pace, wishing she wasn't wearing heels and a skirt today. The song for the commercial was due at 10:00 AM and it was 9:45.

Haruka had everything ready last night, but when she turned on her computer that morning, it crashed and she lost _everything_ , including all the drafts she had of songs for STARISH. Of course, she couldn't worry about the drafts at the moment. Her reputation as a professional was on the line.

She'd spent the morning rushing to write the song for the commercial on paper, having to write three drafts before she felt confident she had the same song that her computer deleted. She'd been planning on emailing the song to the company, which was what they'd agreed on. But Haruka hadn't dared put anything on her computer in case it crashed again and she had been the only one around since STARISH were all at an interview that morning.

Haruka glanced at her watch again, wishing she could slow time down. As she was staring at her watch, her heel caught on a crack on the sidewalk. A strong gust of wind blew at the same time and the song flew out of Haruka's hand as she stumbled. "No!" She cried, her hand uselessly reaching for papers beyond her grasp. If the papers blew into the street she'd really be in trouble.

The papers fluttered higher, carried by the wind. One was almost within her grasp, but the other was too high and going straight for the street. Desperately, she grabbed for the page nearest her, only for someone else to get it first. The next moment, Haruka's rescuer caught the second page as well.

"Thank you!" Haruka breathed earnestly. She put one hand over her racing heart as she closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "I don't know what I would have done if—" Haruka broke off as she opened her eyes and caught sight of her rescuer, too shocked to continue.

A tall, handsome man with slightly curled brown hair grinned down at her. "Don't worry about it. What kind of a guy would I be if I couldn't rescue a damsel in distress?"

"Kiryuin!" Haruka exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Then she gasped as she remembered what she'd been doing before she'd tripped. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"What's wrong?" He asked, a little alarmed at the panic in Haruka's voice.

"I'm going to be late! I should have had this emailed already—but then my computer crashed and—I need to go!" She looked at her watch again. 9:53.

"Where are you going?" Van asked.

"TGI Media Incorporated," Haruka answered absently, gathering her papers from Van. "I have to get this song to them for a commercial they're shooting this week."

She made it one step passed him before he grabbed her arm and pulled. "Come," he said. "I know a shortcut." Without waiting for her to respond, he turned down an alley, pulling Haruka along behind him. Haruka looked back at the street desperately, but she didn't know this area very well. It was likely that Van _did_ know a faster way, and Haruka didn't believe he'd do something to sabotage her. Not intentionally, anyway.

She hurried to keep up with Van, having to jog to keep up with his long legs. They crossed a street, went down another alley, turned and corner, and there—"There it is!" Haruka exclaimed excitedly, running ahead. Van let her go and she turned to give him a grateful look. "Thank you,Kiryuin!" She called before running inside the building.

Pausing a moment, Haruka tried to get her breathing under control and straighten her clothes before walking up to the front desk.

"Good morning, may I help you?" A pretty secretary asked.

"Yes, my name is Haruka Nanami. I have a song that TGI is using for a commercial this week. I'd arranged to email it, but I had technical problems…" Haruka trailed off and flushed. This secretary didn't need to hear the story of how Haruka's morning had gone. "Anyway, I'm here to deliver it in person instead."

She held the papers out, but instead of taking the song, the secretary held up a finger, signaling for Haruka to wait a minute as she picked up the phone and dialed. She spoke quietly and a few minutes later, the VP Haruka had been working with for the concept of the commercial appeared.

"Miss Nananmi!" He cried happily. "I heard you have a song for me."

"Yes," she said, standing straight and holding the papers out for him. "I'm sorry, I know that we agreed I'd email the song to you this morning—"

"Don't apologize," the VP brushed off. "Technology fails us all at one time or another, it's always good to have a back-up plan." If Haruka had really had a back-up plan, she'd have been smart enough to back-up the song on a thumb drive. Going forward, she'd vowed to do just that. "We've partnered with more than one composer or song-writer who had problems and lost their work. What did they do? Call and ask for an extension, saying there was nothing they could do, but here you are, delivering your work in person. I imagine we'll be contacting you to work with you again, Miss Nanami."

"Thank you very much!" Haruka said as she bowed to the VP, her cheeks flushing with pride. She was so grateful and relieved, she felt like she was walking on air as she stepped outside. The sight of Van leaning against the outside wall of the building made Haruka jump in surprise. She'd been so grateful that the VP hadn't been upset with her that she'd forgotten he was there.

"Thank you, Kiryuin," Haruka repeated, bowing to him. "I wouldn't have made it here on time if not for you."

"Don't worry about, it Ha-chan," Van said. "I'm happy I saw you and was able to help. Say, are you busy now?"

"Busy?" Haruka repeated. She needed to start working on songs for STARISH's new CD coming out that year since she'd lost all the songs she'd been working on, but if Van needed something from her, she didn't want to tell him no. "I guess I'm free for the rest of the morning. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Sure," Van agreed with a smile. "Let me take you to brunch."

"Brunch?" Haruka asked, blinking rapidly in surprise.

"Yes, brunch," Van said encouragingly. "That enterprising meal between breakfast and lunch for those who forget breakfast or who burn too much energy in the morning to wait until lunch. With how much of a rush you seemed to be in, I'm betting you didn't have time to grab breakfast this morning."

At that exact moment, Haruka's stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed and covered her belly with one hand while Van laughed. "Looks like I was right about you missing breakfast. I know a really great place just a little ways from here."

He looked at Haruka enquiringly as she bit her lip. It was only two or three months ago that Van had asked Haruka out. While working with Van and Ren to compose a song for the two of them, he'd told Haruka he wanted to be with her. She'd answered him honestly, telling him that she could only think about music right now. He'd graciously accepted her answer and they'd still worked very well together to develop a song for him and Ren. If she said yes to brunch, would this make Van think she'd changed her mind?

Van watched the indecision on Haruka's face and correctly guessed her thoughts. "I'm not asking you out on a date," he promised, holding his hands out as though to show that he was innocent. "You're here, I'm here, we're both hungry…and we get along well. And it's always nice to make more friends, right? We meet so many interesting people in our industry, it'd be a shame to not take advantage of that and get to know all different kinds of people, don't you think?"

His motives weren't completely innocent, of course. He'd hadn't given up on Haruka in the slightest when she rejected him. He just needed to go about things differently. Van was the kind of guy who knew what he wanted and went for it, but Haruka was someone who had to think things over. She didn't rush into things. Van had been up front and honest with Haruka about his feelings for her, but he knew now that he had to go slower with her. She had to get to know more about him first. Once they grew closer, he was confident about his ability to make her fall for him. Assuming that one of the members of STARISH secretly pining for her didn't decide to make a move first, of course. That's why spending time with her this morning was too much of a golden opportunity for him to pass up.

"Plus, I'm starving," Van said, clutching an arm over his stomach dramatically when Haruka still didn't agree. "I didn't skip breakfast, but I'm the kind of person who burns a thousand calories in an hour just from all the energy I expend. I'm 100% dedicated to whatever I'm doing at the moment."

"I know," Haruka said, her lips curving and laughter in her eyes. "I learned that from working with you and seeing you on set for the court drama you did with Jinguji." She bit her lip again before saying, "I guess it's all right if it's not a date."

"Great!" Van exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He grabbed Haruka's hand and started forward. "You're going to love this place, I promise."

~.~

"How did you end up joining HEAVENS, Kiryuin?" Haruka asked. The two were seated outside of a picturesque café. Potted flowers and curling ivy decorated the space. Kiryuin's choice of dining surprised Haruka since the place seemed a little feminine, but she had to admit that her parfait was delicious.

A quick grin lit up Van's face. They'd spent the first couple minutes talking about projects each were working on, but he'd hoped the conversation would turn to more personal topics. "After HEAVENS lost the Princes of Song contest, they felt they needed to make a change in order to pull off a strong and daring come back. I think Raging Ōtori considered a lot of things about how to create a whole new HEAVENS without changing what fans loved about the band. Eventually, he decided that new faces were what HEAVENS needed. Of course, the new members had to match the image of the band and fit in well the current members."

Haruka resisted the urge to ask if Van knew why Ōtori decided HEAVENS should have seven members. Syo claimed it was because they were just copying STARISH. She had a hard time seeing Ōtori making a decision based on STARISH, mostly because of how much pride he had. And even if that was the answer, Van was unlikely to tell her that. Unlike many of the members of HEAVENS, Van seemed to hold little, if any, hard feelings towards STARISH, but he was still unlikely to admit that his band's manager had copied from Shining Sataome.

"I was already an actor and working to break into a singing," Van explained. "Music was my first passion, though I do love acting. I ended up acting on a show with Kira. We got along well and talked a lot about music. When Kira learned how much interested I was in music, he introduced me to Ēichi. Ēichi felt like I matched HEAVENS' image, so he had me sing a couple songs with them, and that was that."

"Wow," Haruka said, surprised at how simple it all sounded. She wondered how the other three additional members of HEAVENS had joined. "That's wonderful you were able to break into music. You're so talented. The duet you and Jinguji did together was amazing, and you looked so cool performing with HEAVENS during the two SSS auditions."

Van was stunned for a minute, surprised at how easily she complimented him. A warm flush went through his body at her words. Trying not to show how affected he was, he grinned and exclaimed, "See, you _do_ want to know more about me!" The first time he asked her out, he said that he wanted to get to know her better and asked if she wanted to get to know him better. Ren had shown up before she could give him an answer. "Of course, I want to learn more about you too. How did you end up involved with music?"

"I was really sick when I was little," Haruka said, staring down at her parfait and smiling sadly. "For my health, I went to live with my grandma in the country. She loves music and was always playing the piano. She taught me to play and we'd play and sing together for hours. When I came back to the city, it was a struggle for me. I wasn't used to so many sounds and sights. There was one day when I felt overwhelmed and was worried I might collapse…A song of Hayato's came on and it totally captured my attention. I decided that I wanted to make music like that. I wanted to make music that could lift people up and brighten their days."

Van stared at Haruka in rapt attention as she spoke. He could relate to what she was saying. Being interested in music, he'd played close attention to the Princes of Song competition, knowing that he could learn a lot from the participants. He'd remembered hearing that the woman composer for STARISH composed the songs for both bands. The moment he'd heard HEAVENS song he knew he had to meet the composer. He'd looked her up afterwards. Haruka Nanami. He knew at that moment that _when_ he became a singer (because it had always been when and not if in his mind) he wanted to sing music composed by her. Then another thought occurred to him.

"Does that mean that you're a Hayato fan?" He asked. He remembered the scandal/surprise when it came out that Hayato was actually Tokiya Ichinose and he was joining the Shining Saotome Agency. For the first time he wondered if Tokiya's transfer had anything to do with Haruka since he joined as a member of STARISH.

Haruka blushed and looked down at her parfait again. "Of course. He was the one who inspired me to want to be a composer. I loved his music more than anyone else's." Her blush deepened as she looked up at Van and confessed, "I had a poster of Hayato on my wall while I was at Shining Saotome's school. Of course, I didn't know that my classmate Ichinose was actually Hayato."

Van smiled in amusement, but couldn't deny the spark of jealousy he felt. "Do you still have the poster of Hayato up?"

"No!" Haruka exclaimed vehemently, shaking her head vigorously. She felt no need to add that she still had the poster. It just wasn't on her wall anymore. "I do have a poster of STARISH from their first concert on my wall though," she added. "They all signed it and gave it to me as a gift." That reminded her that she needed to replace it with a new one of STARISH since her current one didn't have Cecil in it.

"Any other posters up in your room?" Van asked curiously.

"Well," Haruka said before pausing. "When I started writing songs for Quartet Night Kotobuki found out about my STARISH poster. Afterwards, he gave me one of Quartet Night signed by all of them. I didn't ask for it, though." She felt it would have been rude to not hang it, so she put it on the opposite side of the wall of STARISH's poster.

"I see," Van said, nodding thoughtfully.

He looked at Haruka's finished parfait and his empty plate and sighed. "I guess we should both be getting about our mornings then." He took out his wallet at the same time as Haruka. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

"Paying," she said, blinking at him innocently. "To thank you for saving my song this morning."

"Oh no," Van said, shaking his head. "This brunch wasn't for you to say thank you. It was an opportunity for us to get to know each other better." He winked at her. "Such opportunities should never be wasted. You know how I feel about seizing the day. And no man worth his salt would ever make a woman pay for him."

"Oh, well, thank you very much," Haruka said, giving a half-bow from her seat and looking adorably flustered.

~.~

Two days later, Haruka received a poster of HEAVENS signed by them all. She stared at it in consternation before looking around her room. The boys of STARISH would _not_ be pleased if they saw this in her room. Her eyes fell on her closed door. Maybe she could put it there. They never came all the way inside her room and would never see it there.

 **A/N:** This is my first attempt at a one-shot and my first time writing for Uta no Prince Sama and I'm not sure what I think of it. For now I'm marking the story as incomplete just in case season 4 gives me other ideas for one-shots like this. Reviews letting me know what you think would be appreciated


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Nanami!" Shining Saotome exclaimed. "I want you to compose a love song! No! _More_ than that. I want you to write a song about _falling_ in love."

"Yes!" Haruka said, standing at attention as she watched Saotome from across his desk. Then she wondered what the difference was between a love song and a song about falling in love.

"The audience must _feel_ like they're falling in love when they hear this song. Do you understand?"

Haruka paused. She couldn't lie, let alone to the president of the agency. "Um…how does a song about _falling_ in lover differ from a song _about_ love?" She asked, thinking over the songs she'd written involving love. Her focus, and the focus of STARISH, was to make uplifting songs that made people happy. They didn't make it a point to focus on romantic love as the central topic.

Saotome sighed, bringing one hand to his chin as he studied his prize composer. "Falling in love is something you never forget. The rush of new feelings. The fear of being rejected. The excitement of learning new things about someone you care for. Each experience of falling in love is precious. Think of your first love, Miss Nanami. Recall those feelings and put them in a song."

"Yes, sir!" Haruka said, her face flushing red as she bowed. Once outside his office, she leaned against the wall, feeling lost. She'd never had a first love before. How was she supposed to write a song about something she'd never experienced?

~.~

A week later found Haruka wondering aimlessly downtown. She'd tried and tried to work on Saotome's new song that week, but she'd gotten nowhere. All she had to show for her work was a trashcan full of paper. How was she supposed to know what it felt like to fall in love? How could she figure it out before the song was due? She'd considered renting romantic movies and studying them, but the only TV at the mansion was the one they all shared, and she was too embarrassed to watch such movies where everyone could see her.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when the walk signal at a cross walk changed to stop. She put one foot into the street before a voice called out a warning and an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her backwards. She looked back and had to crane her neck upwards to see the face of her rescuer.

"Kiryuin?!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"What were you thinking, Ha-chan?" He demanded, turning her around and putting his hands on her shoulders. He looked half-amused, half-terrified. "I've been watching you for a little while and you seem totally out of it. Is something wrong?"

"Watching me?" Haruka asked in surprise.

"Yes. You walked right passed me."

"I did?!" Haruka asked, blushing as she looked back along the way she'd walked, as though she could pinpoint where she'd walked passed Van.

He smiled down at her and removed his hands from her shoulders, putting them on his waist instead. "Yes, you did. Now will you tell me what has you so distracted?"

Haruka blushed and stared down at her hands. "There's a song I'm having trouble with. I was just thinking about it." She looked up at him hurriedly. "I'm sorry for the trouble! Thank you for stopping me."

Van waved her thanks away, more interested in what kind of song was giving Haruka such trouble. She'd worked flawlessly composing all the duet songs between STARISH and HEAVENS. He was sure that even Haruka had times when she struggled, but it seemed out of character for Haruka to be this distracted by a song.

"What's the song about?" Van asked, tilting his head.

Haruka blushed again and stared at her hands. "I-it's about love," she said quietly. Her eyes flicked to Van's once before she added, "About _falling_ in love."

He studied Haruka, wondering why a song about falling in love would give her such trouble. Then he recalled what she'd said when she told him she couldn't return his feelings. She'd said that she could only think about music, and then Ren had told him that Haruka loved music and it meant everything to her. Was it possible that… "And you've never fallen in love before?" He asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

Haruka blushed even more, not meeting Van's eyes. Eventually, she shook her head.

"Well," Van said, crossing his arms as he stared at Haruka, "why not go on a date and experience the kind of things girls in love usually experience?"

"W-what?" Haruka asked, blinking up at Van.

"Yeah!" Van exclaimed, an excited look in his eyes. "I think it's a great idea. You've never experienced a first love or a first date, so why not go on a date with me to get a feel for what it's like? It might help you with your song."

Haruka stared at Van in surprise, not knowing what to say.

"It won't be a real date," Van assured her. "Just research to help you with your song. Although…" He paused to grin. "I wouldn't complain if you ended up falling for me for real."

Haruka giggled. "Okay, Kiryuin." She hesitated, looking uncertain. "What should we do for our…date?" She couldn't help but blush when she said the word 'date' and she mentally shook herself. This wouldn't be her _real_ first date. Not exactly, anyway.

"Just leave everything to me," Van assured her. "We'll meet at the plaza tonight, if that works for you."

~.~

Haruka self-consciously straightened her dress as she walked down the stairs, her heels clacking on the marble. She put her hand to her braids to make sure they were still in place, wishing she wasn't so nervous. It was just work, really. An event to help her get a feel for the song the president wanted her to write. There was no need for her to feel like she was _actually_ going on a date.

"You look amazing," an awed voice said.

"What?" Haruka asked in surprise, looking up and tripping on the stairs. She blushed as she caught herself and Syo rushed forward in case she needed help.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to distract you." He blushed as he adjusted his hat and looked Haruka over again. "What are you all dressed up for?"

"Oh," Haruka began, not sure how to explain it. "It's just…an event to help me with a new song I'm writing."

"Oh," Syo said, his brow wrinkling in confusion as he wondered what kind of an event would help her with a song. It was possible he'd already heard about the event and had just forgotten. It was hard to keep track of the schedules of all of STARISH plus their composer. All eight of them were usually busy with some job or another. "Well, good luck."

"Thank you!" Haruka said, her eyes shining brightly.

~.~

Van was already waiting when Haruka arrived at their appointed meeting place.

"Sorry!" Haruka apologized, bowing. "Am I late?"

"No, not at all," Van assured her, taking in the sight of Haruka all dressed up. He had to swallow before he could speak again. "A man should always arrive before a woman when they're meeting up, Ha-chan. If a guy doesn't have enough manners to be that courteous, he's not worth your time."

Van held his arm out for Haruka and she stared at it, hesitating. "This is what a couple falling in love does," Van encouraged. "They look for excuses to be closer to one another."

"Okay," Haruka said, nodding slowly as she put her hand through Van's arm. He was helping her out, she reminded herself. She had no idea how to compose the song. She needed to learn what it felt like to fall in love. The moment she had an opportunity, she'd write down _excuses to get closer to each other_ in her notebook. She could almost hear how that would play out in a song…

Her attention was brought back to the present moment when Van gently pulled her along. "Where are we going?" She asked, finally noting that Van was dressed in a suit. He'd told Haruka to dress nice, but hadn't given her a clue as to what they were doing other than that.

"Some place nice," Van said, smiling down at her. "People falling in love like to impress the person they're falling for."

"Wouldn't it be better to just be honest and be themselves?" Haruka asked, though at the same time she thought of a strong tune trying to take charge of a song, then a softer tune calming it down. One lover trying to impress another, and the other assuring the first that all they needed was the other person.

Van chuckled. "Yes, but when you're falling in love, you don't always think rationally."

"I see," Haruka said, nodding her head.

Van looked down at her, feeling a little jealous of the song. It was clear that thoughts of it held Haruka's attention more than he did, but that _was_ why she was there.

When they entered the restaurant where Van had made reservations, they were immediately brought to their seats. Through their window, they had a perfect view of the city's lights.

"It's so beautiful," Haruka breathed, momentarily side-tracked. Van felt pleased at her reaction, thinking he'd chosen well for their "date". However, a moment later, Haruka took out a notebook and looked all business as she took notes. Despite his disappointment, he couldn't help but smile as he watched her. Haruka's dedication was adorable and he _did_ hope that tonight helped Haruka with her song.

They were partway through their dinner when Haruka asked a question that floored Van. "So, Kiryuin, _you've_ fallen in love before then?" He stared at her dumbfounded, but she just blinked innocently at him. Did she not recall his confession from a few months ago? Then again, since it didn't seem to be something she could relate to, maybe she thought he'd only confessed to _liking_ her and not falling for her.

"Yes," he said slowly, trying to think of how he wanted to phrase what he said next. Apparently, he needed to remind her how he felt about her, but he couldn't be obvious about it. Haruka Nanami required a more subtle touch.

"When you're falling in love," he said, keeping his eyes on Haruka's, "it's not something you can control. It can feel…chaotic and terrifying, but also wonderful and amazing." He reached out to gently touch Haruka's hair. "Something about that person captures your attention and you want to know more and more about them. You want to be with them and you think about them when they're not there. Something as simple as seeing a flash of the color of their hair or thinking you smell their perfume catches your attention and you look and hope and wish that they're there."

"And h-how is it terrifying?" Haruka asked, her entire focus on Van.

"Because you don't know how the other person is feeling," he answered. "You don't know if they feel the same way you do, or you know they _don't_ feel the same way, so then you desperately do what you can to change their mind, to show them that you would be good for them, that the two of you would be amazing together."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few more moments until Haruka blushed and started playing with her pen. Eventually, she took a few more notes. Van grinned inwardly at Haruka's reaction.

After dinner (and dessert, of course, Van convinced Haruka that they _had_ to have dessert), they walked into the cool night and onto the steps outside the restaurant.

"Thank you so much for tonight, Kiryuin. I learned a lot about—" Haruka broke off as she stumbled on the stairs, her eyes closing tightly as the concrete rushed up at her.

Van let out a low curse and lunged forward, catching Haruka and pulling her close. With her ear pressed to his chest, she could hear his heart pounding fast.

"Honestly, Ha-chan, you're a walking disaster." When he ran into her a few weeks ago, she'd tripped and almost lost her song to traffic. Earlier that day she'd nearly _walked_ into traffic, and now she was tripping down stairs. He gently tipped her chin up as he said, "You need someone looking after you twenty-four seven." And he certainly wouldn't mind being that person.

Haruka blushed furiously as she stepped away from Van. "That's exactly what Ichinose and the other members of STARISH say."

Van felt a spike of jealousy at those words. Of course the members of STARISH would frequently see Haruka in all her adorable klutziness and be protective of her over it.

"Anyway, I'm very sorry," Haruka bowed to him, still blushing. "And thank you very much for all your help tonight."

"Don't mention it," Van waved off. "You can call me anytime you need to do more research about love."

~.~

"Brilliant, Miss Nanami!" Shining Saotome exclaimed a week later. "The shy feelings of wanting to be closer to the other person. The excitement of wanting to impress the other, and then just wanting to be real together with no masks! The melodies of two different beings coming together in perfect harmony…brilliant!"

"Thank you!" Haruka said, flushed with pleasure over Saotome's praise. She thought to herself that she'd have to find a way to thank Van for the help he'd given her. She couldn't have written the song without him.


	3. Chapter 3

Ren sat in the hotel chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the bathroom door. He couldn't deny that he was _not_ looking forward to that night. It was going to be difficult, perhaps the most difficult night he'd ever had. He brooded as he stared at the door, never wanting it to open. Then again, another part of him was just _waiting_ for the door to open…He quickly pushed that thought away. He couldn't afford to think like that. Not tonight, anyway.

Of course, the only person he had to blame for this situation was his own self. He'd been so distracted that he hadn't been paying enough attention and had let this happen. Well, the blame wasn't _completely_ on Ren. Van Kiryuin had also played his part in creating this mess.

 _Twelve Hours Ago_

"Sorry for the trouble, Little Lamb," Ren said apologetically as the car carrying him and Haruka sped along the road. "Since you already finished the song for the episode, I wasn't expecting for the producer to request you be at the set when we went on location. He said he already looked the song over and loved it, but he's pretty notorious for changing his mind at the last minute. I guess he wants you there in case he decides to make any changes to the song."

"It's okay, Jinguji," Haruka assured Ren with a smile. "It's not your fault." She'd been contracted to write a song for an episode of a popular drama that Ren was guest starring in. She'd finished the song last week and been prepared to wish Ren good luck as he left for three days to shoot on location. Late last night, however, the producer had told Ren that he also wanted Haruka on location to consult about the song. The producer acted like this had been part of the plan all along, but neither Haruka nor Ren remembered anything about Haruka being asked to be on set, and Ren felt guilty asking Haruka to pack and rearrange her schedule at the last minute. Of course, the decision hadn't been his, he'd just been the one who'd had to pass it along.

"All the same," Ren said with a remorseful smile. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Particularly if it's you I'm giving the news to." While Ren meant what he said, he couldn't deny that he enjoyed having Haruka's company for the long drive. Particularly since it meant he had Haruka all to himself for a few days. Of course, he'd be shooting the episode for most of that, but they could still have breakfast and dinner together. The show had booked the same hotel for the two of them, though they were on different floors, which also meant they'd leave together in the morning and come back together in the afternoon.

 _Five Hours Later_

Ren stared with dismay at the large crowd outside the hotel. There were signs with his name on it and posters of STARISH.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Jinguji," the driver said, his feelings obvious in his voice. "It looks like it somehow got out that you're staying here. Someone on set must have leaked it to the public. Why don't I take the two of you straight to the set? I know you were supposed to be able to take your luggage to your hotel rooms and settle in a little before we left, but under the circumstances…"

"Yes, I think you're right," Ren agreed. "It'd be better to just go straight to the set. Maybe if I don't show up for several hours, the crowd will get tired of waiting and go home."

With a relieved nod, the driver continued onward.

 _One Hour Ago_

Ren wiped at the sweat on his brow with a small towel as he walked towards Haruka, who was sitting in the shade of a tree. It had been a long, hot day and he was relieved it was almost over. He really hoped he wouldn't have to deal with a crowd at the hotel. All he wanted to do was shower and go to bed.

"What are you working on, Little Lamb?" He asked as he sat next to Haruka. She had a partially filled in song sheet in front of her and seemed deep in thought.

"It's a song I'm writing for someone as a thank you. I'm not quite sure how I want it to sound yet, but I have a couple ideas."

Ren looked at the song curiously, wondering if he could guess who she was writing it for. Each member of STARISH had their own particular style and Haruka always played to their strengths. His brow furrowed as he looked at the song. It didn't sound like any of the members of STARISH. "Who is the song for, my Lady?"

To his surprise, Haruka blushed. "I-I was having trouble with a song that President Saotame asked me to write. Van Kiryuin helped me out. I couldn't have written the song that the president wanted without his help. I wanted to thank him somehow, so that's why I'm writing a song for him."

Involuntarily, Ren's hand tightened on the towel in his hand. Van. How quaint. Ren angrily wondered what Van had been doing to grow close to Haruka while Ren hadn't been paying attention. Then Ren felt angry at himself. He knew how Van felt about Haruka. Heshould have been paying better attention. The last time Ren and Van had talked about Haruka, Van had said he'd back off, but that had been months ago and Van had never said how long he'd back off for. Ren worked to keep his voice even as he asked, "What song did Kiryuin help you with?"

The blush on Haruka's face deepened, filling Ren with a sense of dread. "A song about falling in love. The president was very specific that he wanted a song about falling in love, and not a song about love."

Jealousy pounded through Ren as he wondered just what Van had done to help Haruka compose a song about falling in love. One that she hadn't managed to compose without help. He could imagine many ways that Van might have helped her, each filling him with more rage. He was going to kill that HEAVENS bastard for taking advantage of Haruka.

"It looks like it's time to go," Haruka said, looking up at a driver motioning to them. Ren noted that it was a different driver than the one they'd had that morning before he saw Haruka shiver next to him. The temperature _was_ going down with the sun setting. He grabbed the hoodie he'd been wearing that morning and handed it to her. She smiled her thanks as she pulled it on and put the hood up, burying her hands in the pocket along with her pen and the song she was working on.

Ren was distracted all the way back to the hotel, his mind going over and over what Van and Haruka might have done together, no matter how many times he tried to tell his mind to shut up. He desperately wanted to ask Haruka, but that hardly felt appropriate. Especially since she'd blushed just saying that Van had helped her with the song. Plus, she might not tell him, and that might be even worse than not knowing.

The car stopped at the hotel and Ren absent-mindedly got out, his mind still on Van.

"Here's your room keys," the driver said, handing keys to both Haruka and Ren. "You've already been checked into your rooms. I'll bring your luggage up in a few minutes. "

"Thanks," Ren said, barely paying attention. He and Haruka walked into the hotel, Haruka with her hood still up. It was only after they walked into the hotel and were standing by the elevators that Ren remembered why the two of them hadn't checked into the hotel earlier. Of course, a crowd of teenage girls screaming your name would remind anyone loud and clear that they had a rabid group of fan girls waiting for them at their hotel.

"Come on!" Ren exclaimed, taking Haruka's hand and running. He dashed for the stairs and ran for the third floor, where his room was. He could stay ahead of the crowd easily, but it was more difficult for Haruka. He dragged her along, the sounds of screaming fans following them close behind.

He fumbled with his key card when he got to his room, casting a panicked look at the crowd almost to them. Normally, he could probably handle a group like this fairly well with his normal charm, but it was more dangerous with Haruka by his side. If his fans realized that he had a girl with him…Thank goodness she was wearing a jacket and still had the hood up.

The moment he got the door opened, Ren pushed Haruka through and jumped after her, pulling the door shut and engaging the locks. A moment later, there was pounding on the door and screams of "Ren!" "Jinguji-san!" Marry me!" "Be my boyfriend!"

He turned away from the door to check on Haruka. She had one hand to her heart and was breathing heavily. "That was scary," she said.

"That was close," he corrected, hating the thought of what could have happened. While he loved his fans, he well knew how mean girls could be. In the heat of the moment, Haruka could have been hurt.

"What do we do now?" Haruka asked, lowering her hood and blinking owlishly at him.

"I guess…we wait," Ren said. "The hotel won't want to risk its reputation by allowing fan girls to harass stars. They'll like the prestige and publicity of having famous people staying here. If a star is too bothered, others won't want to stay here."

"Right," Haruka said, nodding confidently. Ren's words made sense. They'd just have to wait a while, and then Haruka could go to her own room.

Half an hour later, the sounds of the crowd had died down and Ren's hotel phone rang. He answered it and the manager of the hotel apologized profusely, promising to send up a complimentary dinner along with his baggage. He also swore that Ren would not be disturbed again while he was there.

Ren hung up the phone with a grateful sigh and answered the gentle knock that came on his door a moment later. A bell hop stood outside with Ren's bags. There were also two large men standing on either side of his door. Ren blinked at them as he took his bags. "I'm sorry…who are you?"

"We're hotel security," one of the men said, nodding to Ren. "We're to make sure that no one bothers you while you're here, Mr. Jinguji."

"Great," Ren said hesitantly, trying to paste his smile on his face. "Thank you! I appreciate the hotel manager taking the extra precaution." He let the smile slip from his face shut the door.

"What's wrong?" Haruka asked, noting the upset look on Ren's face.

Ren ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It looks like the hotel has decided to post security outside my door to make sure no fans get to me."

"That's good…isn't it?" Haruka asked, confused by Ren's obvious agitation.

Ren paused as he stared at Haruka, wondering how to phrase what he needed to say. "Little Lamb…When you're in the show business, you can't always trust the people around you. The fans think I ran in here with a guy, but if you walk out, the guards will see a girl. I'd like to think that they wouldn't say anything, but there's no guarantee. If word gets out that I was in a hotel room with a girl…"

Haruka gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "It will look like you broke the no love rule," Haruka said. "Even if we're able to explain everything to the president, it still might get into tabloids that you brought a girl to a hotel room. It could ruin your reputation."

Ren nodded, glad that Haruka understood.

"I'm sorry, Little Lamb, but it looks like you'll have to stay here until morning."

"Okay," Haruka said looking determined. "You take the bed. You're the one who has the most work tomorrow."

"My Lady…" Ren began, horrified that Haruka would even suggest such a thing. "How could I possibly take the bed when there's such a lovely lady in need? Of course you'll take the bed. I'll be fine on the floor."

Haruka looked like she wanted to argue, but Ren crossed his arms and stared her down. When she finally looked like she was giving in, Ren said, "You shower first, my Lady."

"Okay," Haruka said, taking a step toward the bathroom. Then she stopped, looking troubled. "I don't have my bag." Which meant she had no clothes to change into.

"Here," Ren said, rifling through one of his bags and pulling out a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. "You can sleep in these."

"Thank you, Jinguji," Haruka said, blushing as she took the clothes from him.

 _Present Time_

Ren heard the shower shut off and his heart pounded at the thought that Haruka would be coming out at any moment. He tried _very_ hard _not_ to imagine what was going on in the bathroom right at the moment, but not picturing Haruka wrapping herself in a towel and drying off was _very_ difficult.

He swallowed thickly, trying to think about his work instead. He recited the lines for the episode he would have to do the next day. That worked until the door opened. He looked up to see a thin line of steam come from the bathroom and a pink-cheeked Haruka step out. His clothes nearly drowned her and she looked utterly adorable, but that wasn't Ren's real problem. The real problem was that seeing Haruka come out of the bathroom fresh from the shower in his clothes…it felt like either the two of them were living together as boyfriend and girlfriend…or like they were spending their very first night together.

Ren quickly pushed both those thoughts out of his head as he stood to take his turn in the shower. When he came out, all but one of the pillows had been put on the floor, as well as the comforter.

"My Lady," Ren said, shaking his head. "How could you think I'd take the comforter?"

"But I have the bed," Haruka argued. "So you should get the comforter."

She looked at him with earnest eyes that almost made him want to give into her. Or kiss her. Since neither decision was an option, he turned away from Haruka to grab the comforter and put it back on the bed. "What would I do if you caught a cold?" He asked. Knowing she wouldn't give in easily, he stepped close to her, capturing her chin in his hands and speaking softly. "Then I would have to _personally_ nurse you back to health as penance."

"O-okay," Haruka said, flushing bright red as she pulled away from Ren, her eyes on the floor. "I'll take the comforter and give you the sheets."

"Good girl," Ren said, still dreading the night ahead.

The atmosphere felt awkward as the two of them turned off the lights and laid down. "Good night, Jinguji," Haruka said softly, making his chest tighten. What would it be like to go to bed every night hearing that from her lips? And to wake every day to hear her say good morning?

"Good night, Little Lamb."

As Ren feared, every time Haruka moved it caught his attention. He felt like each soft ruffle of the blankets as she adjusted herself was as loud as a siren. How was he supposed to get any rest knowing that Haruka was sleeping in the bed next to him? He closed his eyes and tried to think of boring, mundane things. Like whenever Syo started listing all the things that made Hyuuga Sensei great. Or when Otoya gushed about how wonderful his guitar was.

Haruka shifted again, pulling Ren from his thoughts. It was going to be a very long night.

~.~

The next morning, Ren woke with circles under his eyes. He glowered at his reflection, but told himself that they'd be able to cover the marks up just fine with make-up for the shooting.

He also reminded himself that he'd have to find some way to repay Van for the night he'd just had. _And_ for getting closer to his Little Lamb.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I would just like to say thatUta No Prince-Sama Season 4 is pissing me off because they seem to have forgotten that this is a _reverse harem_ , meaning that Haruka should be involved in helping to solve the guys' problems (hence partly why they fell/fall in love with her). She should have helped Masato with his dad and she certainly should have been there for Otoya during his crisis, but apparently she just composes music now while being oblivious to troubles around her. Ugh. At least there's fanfiction.

Haruka stared in surprise at the giant poster of HEAVENS hanging from the ceiling of the mall. Apparently, they were appearing today to sing a brand new song and do a signing. No wonder the mall was so crowded today. She had started wondering if there was a holiday going on that she'd forgotten about.

She'd picked the wrong day to come pick out a gift for Tomochika's birthday. The mall was crowded almost wall-to-wall with people, which made sense, since HEAVENS was so popular. Though they lost the Triple S, it had still given them great exposure within the country. The number of fans for all three bands involved had multiplied hugely.

As Haruka squeezed into a clothing store she wondered if she should stay to hear HEAVENS' new song. It was always a good idea to listen to songs other than the ones she composed. It gave her ideas of what she felt worked and didn't work, and let her know what people enjoyed. It would especially be interesting to see the reaction of the crowd to the song.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted a shirt similar to one she knew Tomo had been eyeing. Thoughts of HEAVENS was temporarily pushed from Haruka's mind as she contemplated the surprise party she and STARISH were throwing for Tomochika in a few days. She hoped everything went well.

After purchasing the shirt, Haruka tried to navigate the crowd to find a sweets shop that carried Tomo's favorite brand of dark chocolate. Spotting a large gap in the crowd, Haruka blindly went toward it and entered through a pair of doors, then walked hurriedly down the hall.

Her steps slowed as she realized she didn't recognize anything around her. "Eh?" She said quietly as her head turned this way and that. There were no people around her now, only a concrete floor and grey walls. She blinked in confusion before realizing she must have somehow ended up behind the stores. Where only employees should be. She flushed when she realized her mistake and turned to hurry away, but heard frustrated yelling before she could take any steps.

"What do you mean he's not coming? The song that we have isn't finished and the file that he sent us is corrupted. If he's too incompetent to send us the finished product, which he promised we'd have _three days ago_ , then he should be professional enough to come in person and bring it. Does he expect _us_ to act like lowly delivery boys and go pick it up?"

A quiet voice gave a response that Haruka couldn't understand, then another angry voice spoke up.

"We can't go out there and sing half a song. We're HEAVENS, our fans expect something great, not the work of some pathetic garage band who can't even finish their work."

The angry voices sounded familiar and Haruka's brow furrowed when she heard the word 'Heavens'. She slowly began moving closer to the room.

A younger and higher-pitched voice asked, "What are we going to do? Our agency has been bragging about us singing an all new song today for weeks. We can't go out there and sing one of our old songs."

"And we've already practiced choreography and wrote lyrics for what _this_ song is supposed to be," a calmer voice pointed out.

Haruka bit her lip as she stepped into the doorway, hoping she wasn't butting in unnecessarily. "Um, excuse me, but I couldn't help overhear, and I thought maybe I could help."

Eight pairs of surprised eyes turned to look at Haruka, the seven members of HEAVENS plus a very stressed and harried looking older man in a suit. His eyes narrowed as he took her in. "What are you doing back here? Fans aren't supposed to—"

"Ha-chan!" Van interrupted, looking utterly relieved as he stepped forward and grabbed Haruka's hands in his owns, pulling her into the room. "You're an angel sent to save us. Our agency hired a new up and coming composer to write our new song, but the last time we met with him the song still wasn't finished. He was supposed to send it to us a few days ago, but we got nothing until this morning, and the electronic file he sent is corrupted. We can't listen to it or use his song."

Eichi stared at Haruka with calculating eyes as he tried to calm down. This whole situation was infuriating and never should have happened. This is what his father got for trying to hire an unknown to compete with the work of Haruka Nanami. The work that they'd heard of this guy was impressive, but he'd struck HEAVENS as flighty and irresponsible, which was exactly what he turned out to be. However, if anyone had a chance of fixing this mess, it was Haruka.

"We're supposed to go on in half an hour," Eichi told Haruka. He put two pieces of paper down in front of Haruka. One was the lyrics HEAVENS had written for the song, the other was the unfinished composition of the song. "Can you finish this?"

Haruka looked over both papers with clear, focused eyes. Her tentativeness from when she walked into the room vanished the moment she had music laid out in front of her. "Yes," she said, looking up into Eichi's eyes. "But you guys won't have any time to practice it beforehand." Her eyes lit up after she said those words and her gaze turned back to the paper. "We can make it sound like the song is supposed to be that way. Rough and unpolished, like it's raw, coming straight from your souls."

Eichi grinned and shivered at Haruka's words, not bothering to reply as she took out a pen and went to work. STARISH, as good as they were, were a waste of Haruka Nanami's talents. If she belonged to HEAVENS, they would bring out her full potential.

The members of HEAVENS were silent as they watched Haruka work feverishly, her eyes jumping from the lyrics back to the composition. After twenty minutes, Haruka stopped and looked up, gesturing for the members of HEAVENS to gather around her. "Hyuga and Amakusa, you two will start out the song, giving it a powerful and mysterious beginning." She made a note on the paper about where the two of them were supposed to sing.

"Eichi, you and Eiji will sing next, and then everyone will join in for the next part. Then Nagi will sing to give the song a moment of lighter quality and almost hopefulness. Then Sumeragi will break in as Nagi fades out, followed by Kiryuin and then Hyuga." The band members nodded as Haruka continued, feeling that her choices made perfect sense with the lyrics they'd written and the final version of the song Haruka had just completed.

When the members of the band didn't offer up any complaints to her work, Haruka took out her iPad and opened up her music program. She quickly put in the newly composed song and layered on more sounds. It wouldn't sound professional, though Eichi had told her that some of the band members could play live instruments to help things sound better, and maybe with the unpolished sound of the song, it would be okay that it didn't sound perfectly professional.

Eichi shivered again as he looked everything over. Haruka Nanami had just turned a disaster into a masterpiece in under half an hour. Now all that was left was for HEAVENS to pull it off.

"You're the best, Haruka," Nagi said, wrapping his arms around Haruka and giving her his best idol smile.

"Um, thanks," Haruka said, blushing. "I'm just glad I was able to help. Good luck!"

Nagi pouted. "You're going to stay and watch us, aren't you? If you don't, it'll show that you don't have faith in your song or in us."

"Yes, I plan to watch," Haruka assured him, though she had no intention of staying through the signing. The mall was chaos with fans of HEAVENS crowding it.

The band members nodded to her as they walked out, Van being the last one. "Wait, Kiryuin," Haruka said, impulsively reaching out to grab his arm. He turned his head to look at her curiously and she blushed as she said, "Would it be all right if I talked to for a minute after you sing? Just for a minute. I have something I want to give you."

Van stared at Haruka, dumbfounded. Did she have to tell him this now? He was under enough stress, hoping he and the band would be able to perform at their normal quality while singing a song they'd never practiced before in front of an audience. Now he'd have to struggle to keep his mind away from Haruka and whatever it was she wanted to give him. "I'll come back and see you," he promised, before leaving to trail after Kira.

~.~

Haruka beamed as she watched the song. HEAVENS performed amazingly. The sound quality wasn't what she wanted, but she thought HEAVENS voices and dance moves helped make up for it. No one in the crowd would guess that much of this had been done at the last minute.

As the song finished, fans screamed wildly, yelling for more to the point that HEAVENS sang the song again. Haruka noticed employees of the surrounding stores standing just outside their stores to hear and watch HEAVENS. Thank goodness everything had turned out okay.

~.~

Van stood in front of Haruka a few minutes later, his hands in his pockets as he waited nervously. Why did he feel nervous? The song was over with and had gone off better than any of them could have expected or hoped. The song itself was amazing, of course, and Haruka's instincts for where everyone should sing were spot on. The woman was born to compose music.

Haruka shyly reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding it out to him. "I wanted to give you this as a thank you for helping me write the song about falling in love. I couldn't have done it without you and wanted to give you something in return."

"You didn't have to," Van said, automatically reaching for the piece of paper. "I was happy to help." Haruka's trouble with the song had given Van an excuse to take her out on a date. Or, pseudo date, as Haruka viewed it. He was _grateful_ she felt she couldn't have written the song without his help.

He unfolded the paper, wondering what it was. Once he saw it, he thought he should have figured, should have known all along. It was a solo song. Written just for him. By Haruka. He looked up to see her biting her lip and looking at him uncertainly from under her eyelashes. "Ha-chan…this is amazing. You absolutely didn't need to do this, but thank you."

"Do you like it?" She asked worriedly, surprising Van. Like it? How could anyone _not_ like one of her songs?

"It's perfect," he answered. And it was. The song _felt_ like Van. Haruka had obviously incorporated what she knew of him to compose the song. Just like she had done for all of HEAVENS in the song she just finished for them. He felt a twinge of jealousy as he thought of STARISH and hoped they knew just how lucky they were.

As Van stared at the song again, he wondered _why_ Haruka had the song on her. Was it just a coincidence? Or had she been carrying the song with her ever since she finished it, hoping to run into him? Was it possible she thought more strongly for him then she let on?

"Well, thank you again, Kiryuin," Haruka said, waving as she started to walk away. "I'll see you later."

"Wait," Van said, catching Haruka's hand before she could get away. As usual, this wasn't an opportunity Van could let go to waste. Haruka stared at him curiously as Van kept ahold of her hand, pulling her closer to him and rubbing his thumb over her fingers. He smiled down at her. "We're friends, right, Ha-chan? We get along well and help each other out when we can?"

"Yes," Haruka answered slowly, blushing as she stared at Van's hand holding her own.

"Well, then," Van said, pulling Haruka even closer and bending down so he could look into her eyes. "Shouldn't you call me Van instead of Kiryuin then?"

Haruka stared up at Van with wide eyes. "I-I…I suppose I could…"

"Will you?" Van pressed. "It feels lonely with me calling you Ha-chan and you calling me by my last name."

Slowly, Haruka nodded, a blush covering her cheeks.

Van grinned. "All right. From now on, you'll call me Van."

"Y-yes…Van."

Van almost thought his heart would stop, Haruka was so adorable saying his name. He swooped down to plant a quick kiss on her cheek before letting go of her hand and stepping back. "I'd better get back to the signing. I'll see you around, Ha-chan." He walked backwards as he waved good-bye to her, pleased to see the blush still covering her cheeks and the hand coming up to tentatively touch where Van had kissed her.

~.~

"Awww, Haruka already left?" Nagi asked in disappointment after their signing event ended. "How lame."

Yamato frowned and crossed his muscular arms. "She's really good."

"No, no, Ha-chan is the best," Van corrected, spreading his arms wide. "Who else could pull off an amazing song like that in so little time? She's a genius."

Kira nodded and quietly said, "She is very talented. The best composer we've worked with."

"The stars were smiling down upon us today," Shion said. "How else could Haruka Nanami appear exactly where we needed her when we needed her?" He paused. "It seems to be the stars will that she compose for us."

"It's not just her talent for composing," Eiji commented. "It's that the song fit us so well, and she knew intuitively where each of us should sing. She's only worked with us a little, but she still knows us well enough to know our strengths and our weaknesses, to know our personalities enough to show it through song. I'm sure a large part of STARISH's success is because of how flawlessly she showcases who each of them are through music."

"We need that," Nagi said petulantly, folding his arms and pouting. "How can she want to compose for STARISH over us?"

One band member was surprisingly silent as HEAVENS sung Haruka's praises and bemoaned the fact that she wasn't their composer. Eichi had one hand at his chin as he thought, his eyes staring at Van. "What did Haruka talk to you about?" He finally asked.

"What?" Van asked in surprise, looking back at Eichi.

"Haruka asked specifically to speak to _you._ And after our performance, you left for a minute to talk with her. Why?"

Van blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, Ha-chan just wanted to thank me for something I did for her before. That's all."

Despite Van's words, Eichi suspected that that _wasn't_ "all". He had never seen Van blush before. Nor was it common for Haruka to focus on one man out of the bands she composed for. She treated everyone equally, never showing favorites within a group. He grinned. This information could be _very_ useful going forward.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** The beginning of this chapter is thanks to Nanami-Hime. The idea was hers and I loved it so much I couldn't help but find an excuse to incorporate it into the story.

Cecil strolled along the railing of Haruka's balcony, the sun feeling glorious on his dark fur. He didn't take his cat form often. He much preferred his true form of human. Especially after being stuck as a cat for several years, but he was still capable of taking on the form and did so upon occasion. He had some good memories associated with being a cat. He'd been a cat when he'd met Haruka, after all. And if he'd never been cursed into this form, he never would have met Haruka and never would have joined STARISH. In a way, he owed a lot to this form.

He paused to stretch, extending his claws as he arched his back. The surprise birthday party for Tomochika was about to start, but the sun outside had looked so inviting that Cecil couldn't help himself. And, he admitted, part of him wanted to look inside Haruka's room ( _not_ with her in it). He hadn't been inside since before he'd joined STARISH and he was curious about how it had changed. Both Haruka and STARISH had grown in a lot in the last year.

Also, STARISH had recently given Haruka a new poster of themselves, one with them wearing their outfits from the SSS and signed by all of them. He wondered if she already had it up. He peered through the balcony doors and his hear leapt when he spotted a poster on the back of Haruka's door. Except…the coloring was wrong. It wasn't a poster of STARISH, it was a poster of…

Cecil's fur stood on end and he hissed at the sight. He let out one yowl at the picture before losing his balance and tumbling to the ground.

~.~

By the time Cecil went back to his room, threw on clothes, and entered the living room, the party had already started. Cecil stood back anxiously, too riled up to join in the festivities. _Why_ did Haruka have a signed poster of HEAVENS in her room? And how long had she had it for? Since the SSS? Before then?

"There you are, Sesshy," Ren said, looking over with a smile. "We were wondering where—" Ren broke off when he noticed Cecil's disheveled appearance. "Is everything all right?"

Cecil winced when Tomochika and Haruka looked over at him in concern. He didn't want to do anything to ruin Tomo's party. Why did he have to see the poster today of all days? Why did Haruka have to have the poster in the first place? And what in the world did her having the poster even _mean_?

"It's fine, it's fine." Cecil waved the matter off, grinning at Haruka and Tomochika. "I just tripped. No need to make a big deal out of it."

Haruka still gazed at him with concerned eyes, making his heart melt. How could any guy _not_ fall for her? Of course, "any guy" encompassed HEAVENS. And they spent a fair bit of time with Haruka during the time leading up to the SSS. Darn it! He couldn't think of anything except that poster. In Haruka's room. Where she would see it every night before going to bed and every morning when she woke up. Why?!

He worked to give Haruka a more genuine smile, hoping it hid the turmoil inside him. Haruka finally turned her attention back to Tomo and he sighed in relief. However, his odd behavior did not escape the attention of his bandmates.

~.~

Cecil was distractedly washing dishes in the kitchen after the party with his bandmates as Haruka and Tomo talked in the living room. The girls felt bad leaving the cleanup to the guys, of course, but STARISH insisted. They knew how close Haruka and Tomo were and how little time they got to spend together these days.

"So?" Ren asked, suddenly appearing in Cecil's line of sight.

"Ah!" Cecil exclaimed in surprise, jumping back and dropping the plate in his hand.

"Whoa!" Syo said, lunging forward and snatched the plate from the air before it hit the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief before putting the plate in the sink and glaring at Cecil. "What was that for?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"It was an accident," Cecil defended. "Ren surprised me."

"You must have been pretty deep in thought for me to scare you that badly," Ren said, raising his eyebrows and folding his arms. "So are you going to tell us what's bothering you?"

Cecil looked at the ground and fidgeted as he debated whether he should tell STARISH anything. And, if so, _what_ he should tell them.

"Cecil?" Otoya asked in concern, coming closer. "Did something happen?"

"You know you can tell us anything," Natsuki encouraged. "We're here for you no matter what."

Cecil sighed and bit his lip, looking troubled. The rest of STARISH gathered around him in concern. Tokiya was just about to demand that Cecil cut the drama and tell them what had happened when Cecil burst out, "Do you think Haruka is growing closer to HEAVENS?"

The rest of STARISH exchanged confused looks. "Well," Masato began calmly, wondering what had prompted Cecil's outburst, "I think we all became closer to HEAVENS leading up to the SSS. During the duet projects, STARISH and HEAVENS came to understand one another better and Nanami was there through all of that."

"I know," Cecil said, "but she also worked with them without us there and we have no idea what happened between them. What if HEAVENS showed Haruka more appreciation for her hard work and her songs than we do? What if they're still trying to steal her away?"

"The SSS happened a few months ago," Tokiya said, "why are you worried about this _now_? Haruka hasn't been any less involved with STARISH since that point."

"Yeah," Otoya said cheerfully. "And Nanami isn't just our composer, she's the eighth member of STARISH. She'd never leave us for another band. Even if she makes new friends, that's not a threat to us."

Cecil looked entirely unconvinced and the rest of STARISH was beginning to wonder if Cecil thought he had a concrete reason to be concerned, or was reacting over nothing.

One member, however, was beginning to feel uneasy. Ren recalled the blush on Haruka's face when she told him she was writing a song for Van as a thank you. That was only one member of HEAVENS, but getting close to one member might entail getting close to the rest as well. "Sessy, why are you concerned that the little lamb is getting closer to HEAVENS?"

"Because," Cecil said reluctantly, "I saw a poster of HEAVENS in her room. Signed by all the members."

STARISH stared at him in stunned silence until Syo demanded, "What were you doing in Nanami's room?"

The stunned stares turned interrogating. Cecil blushed. "I wasn't inside Haruka's room, I saw it from outside."

"When?" Syo asked with narrowed eyes. He tried not to let his emotion show too much on his face, but it was hard to hide his jealousy. _He_ had never seen the inside of Haruka's room.

"Earlier today," Cecil said, the blush still on his face.

"Obviously," Tokiya said, giving Syo a look. "That's why he was so distracted during the party."

"Why would she have a signed poster of HEAVENS?" Natsuki asked, a hurt look on his face. Then he brightened. "Maybe Haru has a signed poster of all the bands she's composed for in her room. Did she have our poster and one of QUARTET NIGHT up?"

"I don't know," Cecil said with a shake of his head. "I only saw the HEAVENS poster."

There was silence for a moment until Natsuki said, "Then we should go look."

Syo blanched and Masato looked horrified. "You can't just go into a lady's room without her permission," Masato said strictly. "That wouldn't be right."

"Maybe we could just ask her about it?" Otoya suggested.

"Sure," Ren agreed sarcastically. "We'll just go up to her and ask what posters of idols she keeps on her bedroom walls. That won't be awkward at all." Secretly, he liked Natsuki's plan. Well, he liked Natsuki's plan if _he_ was the one checking Haruka's room to see what posters she had up. Much as he cared about the other members of STARISH, he didn't like the idea of them entering the Little Lamb's room.

"Then we can let Haruka know how much we appreciate her and her music instead," Otoya said. "If Cecil is worried that HEAVENS is stealing Nanami away with praise, we'll make sure we always let Nanami know how grateful we are for her and all that she does for us." His brow creased with worry. "Maybe we haven't been telling her enough lately."

Syo pouted as he crossed his arms. He didn't think that Otoya's plan was a bad one…he just really wanted to know _why_ Haruka had a poster of HEAVENS, a _signed_ poster of HEAVENS in her bedroom. And what other posters she had. She had to have the one from STARISH up, right? And in a better, more visible place than the one from HEAVENS? This was going to drive him crazy until he knew.

"Otoya is right," Ren agreed. "We do need to make sure we always let Lady know how grateful we are for her and all she does for us. If HEAVENS thinks they can lure her away, we'll show everyone no one is more supportive of her than we are." And if Van thought he could snatch up Haruka, he was dead wrong. At least, Ren hoped he was.

"Let's let her know right now," Natsuki said, his eyes shining brightly. The other members all began smiling.

"Yeah," Syo agreed. "Let's do it."

"Hooray!" Natsuki exclaimed, before turning and running off.

"Why are you running?" Syo demanded as the rest of STARISH took off after him.

They reached the living room and stopped. Tomochika and Haruka looked up at them all in surprise.

"Did something happen?" Tomochika asked.

"Would you like us to help clean up?" Haruka offered.

"It's not that," Syo said with a shake of his head. "We just wanted to let you know we love your music."

"And you," Ren added with a smile, making Haruka blushed.

"Yeah, you're music is the best, Nanami!" Otoya exclaimed. "We don't ever want to sing anyone else's music."

"You have a connection to the muses that few ever experience," Cecil said. "The music you compose touches our souls and helps lift others."

"We want to continue growing with you and getting even better," Tokiya said. "We won the SSS, but we can still reach higher."

Haruka looked touched at STARISH's words, but Tomochika was sweat dropping. She was used to STARISH praising Haruka, she _was_ amazing after all, but this seemed a little out of the blue. One minute, STARISH had been cleaning up from her surprise party. The next, they were standing here gushing about Haruka like they'd just won an award, or made it through some difficult trial and wanted to reaffirms their strong ties together. "Did something…happen in the kitchen?"

Everyone looked too innocent to Tomo as they shook their heads. "We just wanted to let Nanami know how much we appreciate her," Otoya said enthusiastically, a blush covering his cheeks.

"Yeah," Syo agreed. "It's important to let the people in your life know how you feel about them, and express gratitude."

"Studies show that those who regularly express gratitude live longer and happier lives," Masato added.

"Really?" Haruka asked, looking amazed. "That's incredible!" She smiled brilliantly at STARISH before standing and bowing. "I'm so grateful for all of you in my life. You too, Tomo. I love having you as my best friend and being able to compose for STARISH is a dream come true. I always learn so much from all of you. Thank you."

Tomo resisted the urge to smack her face as the hearts of STARISH obviously melted at Haruka's words. Wanting to express gratitude for gratitude's sake was definitely _not_ what was going on here.

"Mmhm," Tomo said. _Something_ had to have happened to bring this on, but _what_? A desire of one of the members to confess their true feelings for Haruka? Had one of them said something earlier that they worried hurt Haruka's feelings?

Haruka's phone beeped and she pulled it out to check the text message. A shy and happy smile crossed her face, an expression Tomo wasn't sure she'd ever seen on Haruka's face before.

"Who's it from?" Tomo asked, curious.

"What?" Haruka asked, looking up in surprise as though she'd forgotten she was in a room full of people. "Oh, it was Van letting me know he just performed his new song and he said everything went perfectly."

Tomo raised her eyebrows in surprise as various members of STARISH repeated, " _Van?_ "

Tokiya felt like he'd just been punched. He'd thought that Cecil's fears of Haruka growing closer to HEAVENS had been ridiculous, but she'd just referred to Kiryuin Van by his first name. She didn't refer to any members of STARISH by their first names despite the fact that she'd known them all for over two years now. They spent a year together in school and had now worked together professionally for over a year. How could she possibly be calling a member of HEAVENS by his first name? When had this happened?

"Why would Kiryuin be texting you about performing a new song?" Tomo asked with raised eyebrows. If Haruka was dating Van and hadn't told her about it, Tomo would _not_ be happy.

"Because I gave him the song," Haruka said, a light blush on her cheeks. "He helped me out a little while ago. I wanted to do something to tell him thank you and composed a song for him."

STARISH was flabbergasted as they stared at Haruka and some of them couldn't deny feeling a sense of betrayal. Haruka didn't belong to them, of course, but she was _their_ composer. Composing a song for a thank you was exactly something that Haruka would do, but they wished she'd chosen some other way to express her thank you.

"Well," Otoya said, sounding a lot less enthusiastic now, "we just wanted to let you know how we felt." STARISH walked back to the kitchen, feeling dejected. If Haruka had grown so close to Van that she was calling him by his first name, who knew what had happened between her and other members of HEAVENS.

It looked like STARISH was going to have to keep a close eye on their rivals in more way than one.

 **A/N:** So, season 4 has sucked away my motivation for this fic. It has been largely disappointing However, it's also really made me want to do a fanfic where STARISH leaves on a world tour after the SSS and Haruka becomes really close to QUARTET NIGHT (possibly with HEAVENS thrown in too, because they're great). Not a Date will probably have one or two more chapters and then I might write that other fan fic


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed! I wrote an extra-long chapter for the last one. Hopefully, people feel like this wraps the story up nicely.

"I see," Saotome said into the phone, staring through his window. "I agree to your terms. One month." The voice on the other end of the phone chuckled darkly as Saotome hung up. He felt a slight moment's hesitation, wondering if he'd made the right choice, but he believed he had. He knew Raging Otori had his own agenda, but Saotome wanted to do what was best for Haruka, STARISH, and HEAVENS.

He summoned STARISH and Haruka to his office before taking a seat behind his desk and resting his chin on this hands. STARISH and Haruka soon filed into the room, curious at what their president might be planning now.

"You called for us?" Tokiya finally promoted when it seemed Saotome didn't plan to speak.

"Yes," Saotome said. "I've just made a deal with an old acquaintance, one that I believe will be a good experience for all of you." He paused again and some of STARISH began to feel nervous. Where was Saotome's normally boisterous personality? Where were his theatrics? Why was be acting so solemn?

Saotome peered at them all through his sunglasses. "Some of you may not like the deal I've made, but I don't want to hear _one_ word of complaint from you about it, understood?"

He waited until STARISH and Haruka nodded, some more hesitantly than others. "Good. Raging Otori and I have made a deal that the Shining Saotome Agency and the Raging Otori Agency will switch composers for a month. Haruka will work with HEAVENS and STARISH will work with a composer from Raging Otori."

There was stunned silence before the inevitable explosion.

"You can't just hand Nanami over to those wolves!"

"We only want to sing Haruka's songs, no one else's!"

"HEAVENS has tried to steal Nanami twice and now you're just handing her over?"

"Silence!" Saotome roared, fixing them all with a glare. "What did I just say about arguing against me on this?" STARISH quieted, still obviously upset. Haruka stared at Saotome with a dazed expression on her face. "Like I said, I think _all_ of you will benefit from this deal, _if_ you follow through properly. More experience is always a good thing. Miss Nanami can grow as a composer by working with different bands, and spending an extended period of time with another band will help give her more of an idea of what it's like to work with the different dynamics of different bands."

"She's written songs for Quartent Night _and_ HEAVENS before!" Syo interrupted.

Syo gulped and looked at the floor when Saotome glared at him for the outburst. "She has worked with them during small and isolated instances. This will be more long term. And as for STARISH, all of you will benefit from working with another composer." He immediately held up his hand to stave off more arguments.

"I know that Miss Nanami is STARISH's composer and does a fantastic job, and I know that all of you want to only sing her songs, but there may be times when that's not possible. Will you turn down singing a song for a movie because the producer insists you must use their composer? Will you pass up the opportunity to be the face of a clothing line because they want you to sing other songs?"

STARISH was silent as they thought this over. There was sense in what the president was saying, even if they didn't want to admit it.

"You need to learn how to work with other composers. You don't have to produce any of the songs you create with Raging Otori's composer, but you _do_ have to work with him." Saotome was pleased when STARISH didn't interrupt again and he sent them away after telling them that Haruka would be leaving next Monday morning.

He let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. That had been surprisingly exhausting. He'd known that STARISH would be upset, though he couldn't tell how Haruka felt. She was likely to be excited, if nervous, at an opportunity to grow as a composer like this.

However, truth be told, Saotome wasn't doing this _just_ for STARISH's and Haruka's benefit. He could have had STARISH work with another composer from his own agency and have Haruka work with another band from his agency, after all. He was also doing this for HEAVENS' sake. Otori was a cold man. One who only believed in making profit and in beating others in the music industry. He saw no value in creating songs that _meant_ something to people, that _moved_ them. HEAVENS had great potential and he didn't want to see them going down the same path as their company president. And he believed that working with Haruka, who had so much heart and passion for music, would help HEAVENS avoid doing that.

 **Monday Morning**

Haruka felt odd as the taxi dropped her off at the mansion HEAVENS lived in. She wondered why she felt so nervous. It was just composing, which is what she spent all her time doing, and she'd composed for HEAVENS before. She wished she could put her finger on why things felt different this time.

Pushing the thought out of her mind, Haruka rolled her suitcase up to the front door. She'd just raised her hand to knock when the door flew open.

"Ha-chan!" Van greeted, pulling Haruka into a hug. Haruka blushed, surprised at the enthusiastic greeting. "Come in, come in," Van said, taking Haruka's suitcase from her. "We've been waiting for you, Ha-chan. We have your room all prepared."

Haruka followed Van wordlessly, a little taken back by his energy. After showing Haruka her room and dropping off her things, Van took her to the living room, where the rest of HEAVENS was.

Nagi smiled brightly at her. "Welcome, Haruka! Are you excited to work with the cutest idol in the world?"

Haruka couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, I am excited to work with you all again," she said, bowing to them.

 **End of Week 1**

"Brilliant work, Nanami," Eichi said, grinning at the song in front of him. "In just one week HEAVENS has a new song and we've already started work on another."

"It doesn't always go so fast," Haruka said modestly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It's just because we're spending so much focused time on the songs."

"Of course," Yamato said, smirking and folding his arms. "Did you think we were going to waste our time with you?"

"Right then," Eichi said, clapping his hands together once. "It's getting late and most of us have somewhere to be. Van, will you make sure Haruka gets dinner?"

"What?" Van asked, looking at Eichi in surprise. This was the first he was hearing of the other band members having plans tonight. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Eichi nodded at him once, looking serious, then he turned and left. Van scratched the back of his head, wondering what that was about. Then he watched at the rest of HEAVENS left, leaving just him and Haruka. Van blinked as he watched the last of them leave, wondering how they could have all had plans without Van knowing about any of it.

"Well," he said slowly, turning and looking at Haruka. "What would you like to do for dinner?"

"Um, should we make something?" She suggested, standing up from the piano bench.

"Sure," Van agreed, following Haruka to the kitchen.

Haruka began gathering ingredients and Van followed her lead, handing her things and turning on the oven. He couldn't help glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as they worked. Being in the kitchen with her felt so…domestic. She was clearly comfortable in HEAVENS kitchen, humming as she worked. Van didn't think she even realized she was doing it, which made it even more adorable.

"So, what do you think of staying here for a whole month and working with HEAVENS, Ha-chan?" Van asked. "It was probably sprung on you unexpectedly."

"I was surprised when President Saotome brought it up," Haruka admitted. "But I agree with him that I think this is a good opportunity to help me become a better composer. And I enjoy working with HEAVENS."

"Good," Van said. Haruka had seemed a little nervous to be staying with HEAVENS at first, but had acted her normal devoted and happy self while they'd worked on HEAVENS' new songs. He was relieved to hear she was enjoying her time there.

During dinner they chatted about their childhoods and their favorite things to do when they were kids.

"You never watched that show?" Van asked in disbelief.

Haruka shook her head. "My grandmother didn't have a TV. I'm really not familiar with any of the pop culture that was around when I was growing up."

Van shook his head. "That is such a shame, Ha-chan. I'm going to have to track down the DVDs of it and make you watch it."

"All right," Haruka agreed, smiling. "Kurusu had me watch all of Prince of Fighting, which was his favorite show growing up. I really liked it."

Van kept his smile in place, but winced internally. They'd gone the whole evening without Haruka mentioning any members of STARISH and he'd rather enjoyed it. Not that he had anything against them, of course. He just didn't like Haruka talking about STARISH when the two of them were together. It seemed like almost every time the two of them were alone together, STARISH got brought up one way or another.

A few minutes later as they were washing the dishes, Van noticed that Haruka seemed distracted. "What's up, Ha-chan?" He asked.

Haruka jumped in surprise before blushing. "Oh, I was just thinking that it'd be nice to bake some cookies, that's all."

"Hmm, I wouldn't say no to cookies if you're offering."

Haruka brightened. "And then we could save the rest for everyone else."

"R-right," Van said. Did she have to perpetually be thinking of others? Admittedly, he loved that side of her, but it'd be nice if she'd be distracted enough by Van to think only of him when they were together.

Haruka finished the dishes and went to the cupboard with the flour, standing on tiptoe to reach it. She grasped the edge of the big bag and pulled. "Ha-chan, I'm not so sure you should—" Van broke off when the bag tilted precariously before falling.

"Ha-chan!" Van yelled, running forward. He wrapped his arms around Haruka, hunching his shoulders to cover her. The bag bounced off his shoulder and hit the floor.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Haruka exclaimed. "I should have let you get the bag."

"It's okay," Van assured her, pulling back to look at her. He then realized that he had Haruka pinned against the counter, his arms wrapped around her. Her eyes widened as she realized the same thing and they stared at each other in silence. Van finally asked quietly, "Are you okay, Ha-chan?"

Haruka nodded, blushing and lowering her eyes. "Thank you." She peeked up at him from under her eyelashes. "Are you okay, Van?"

Hearing her say his name made his heart beat fast. "I'm fine," he said. He brought one of his hands up and brushed his thumb across her cheek. She stared at him, transfixed. "You had some flour," he explained.

Haruka's hand came up to grip the wrist of the hand he held against her face. Van was just about to risk moving in to kiss her when Haruka looked down. "I guess I'd better get started on the cookies," she said.

"Right," Van agreed, stepping back and feeling disappointed. He couldn't say that he was surprised, but for a moment…he'd gotten the impression that Haruka _wanted_ him to kiss her.

 **End of Week 2**

Eiji stood up and stretched, abandoning the half-eaten piece of pizza on his plate. "That was a really productive session." HEAVENS and Haruka had worked all day to complete their fourth song together, ordering pizza so they wouldn't have to interrupt their work.

"Yes," Eichi agreed, looking at his watch. "But we need to get going now, Eiji. We promised Dad we'd be there by 8:30."

"Right," Eiji agreed. He smiled at Haruka. "Thanks again for your help, Nanami. We'll see you tomorrow."

Haruka smiled and waved good-bye as they left.

"Well," Nagi said, jumping to his feet. "Shion and I have an interview to prepare for that's next week. Let's go." Shion obligingly got up and followed the smaller youth out.

"I need to practice my moves for the stunt show I'm starring in soon," Yamato said. "Kira, come help me."

Van watched in surprise as the last members of HEAVENS left…again.

"Well…I think I'm too full after all the pizza to go to bed," he said.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Haruka suggested. "It looks like it's a nice night out."

Van blinked, surprised at the offer, then he grinned. "I'd love to, Ha-chan."

They walked around the mansion and the surrounding area, talking about HEAVENS' new songs and what kind of song the next one would be.

Haruka was looking up at the sky and commenting on what a nice night it was when her heel got caught in a root and she tripped.

Van's arm snapped out to wrap around Haruka's waist and pull her to him. "I should have been expecting that," he said with a shake of his head. "I'd forgotten that you're a walking disaster."

"I-I'm not a walking disaster," Haruka argued, her hands resting against Van's chest. By the dim light of the moon, he could just make out the blush on her cheeks.

"Really?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"It's dark," Haruka argued. "I couldn't see the tree root."

"Hmm, let's see, shall why? This is the _third_ time I've seen you trip, one of those times almost being down a flight of stairs. I've also seen you nearly walk into traffic and nearly have a heavy flour bag dumped on your head. Maybe I should hold your hand while we walk."

"I won't trip again," Haruka promised, still clasped tightly by Van.

"Oh? And what if you do?"

"I-I…I'll compose another song for you after this month is over!"

"Okay," Van agreed in amusement. "If you trip again tonight, you'll compose me another song."

Haruka was oddly silent after that and Van looked over to see a look of intense concentration on Haruka's face. Unable to help himself, he started laughing.

"What?" Haruka asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Ha-chan," Van said, shaking with laughter. "You just look so serious."

"I'm trying to concentrate so I don't trip over another root," Haruka defended, her cheeks red.

"If you have to concentrate that much not to trip, then that means that I'm right. You _are_ a walking disaster."

"You don't see me that often," Haruka argued. "I've just had bad luck when we've been—" Haruka's words were cut off when she tripped over another root.

"That's it," Van said with a shake of his head. He reached over and took Haruka's hand in his, pulling her to his side and interlocking their fingers. "For your own safety, you're staying right here for the duration of our walk." Van was pleased when Haruka didn't offer up any more arguments.

 **End of Week 3**

By the third week, Van wasn't surprised when the rest of HEAVENS suddenly disappeared at the end of the week. Van's guess was that Eichi was behind it. Either the unofficial leader of HEAVENS had noticed Van's feelings for Haruka and wanted to give them time together, or Eichi hoped that if Haruka fell for Van she would switch to their agency and compose for HEAVENS.

Van felt conflicted about this. He was grateful for the alone time with Haruka, but wondered what she would think of it if she knew what was going on.

"Van?" Haruka asked uncertainly once they were alone.

"Yes, Ha-chan?"

"Is there somewhere else you need to be? The other members of HEAVENS seem to be busy on weekend nights. I hope you're not staying around just because I'm here." Haruka clasped her hands together and looked up at him with soulful eyes, making Van feel guiltier, even if all this _wasn't_ his doing. How was it that Haruka was so utterly adorable without realizing it or doing it on purpose?

"No, Ha-chan, there isn't anything else I need to be doing, and there _certainly_ isn't anything else I'd rather be doing. The other guys…just have a lot going on right now." Van scratched the back of his head awkwardly. It probably _did_ look suspicious that Van seemed to be the only one without plans or a job to prepare for on Saturday nights when everyone else was gone. "Unless, that is, you find it annoying having me around all the time," he teased.

"No, no, not at all," Haruka rushed to assure him. She blushed as she shook her head no and waved her hands back and forth emphatically. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Good," Van said, holding a hand out to her. "Then can I take you to dinner?"

Haruka hesitated for just a moment before placing her hand in his. Van smiled down at her before leading her out the door.

He desperately wished he could see inside her mind. He felt like the two of them had grown closer during the past few weeks. Even before that they'd been growing closer. He remembered that Haruka had been carrying around the song she'd composed for him at the mall even when she had no reason to expect to see him (unless she'd been planning on dropping by the Raging Otori Agency later that day, but Van liked the first explanation better). She'd also agreed to call him by his first name, something she didn't even do for STARISH. All this had to mean something, didn't it?

 **End of Week 4**

At the end of the fourth week, HEAVENS held a mini-party with them and Haruka to thank her for the great songs she'd composed with them. She insisted that the great songs were as much thanks to HEAVENS as her if not more. Since she crafted songs based on what she knew about people, she said that HEAVENS was amazing to compose songs for since HEAVENS was amazing, which pleased the band and made Nagi comment that she should just compose for them all the time them.

Van felt oddly nervous during the party. Haruka would leave them tomorrow to go back to the Shining Saotome Agency. He was dreading the thought. He didn't want Haruka to leave, and he _especially_ didn't want her to leave without saying anything to her, but he wasn't sure _what_ he should say. As a result, he ended up subtly staring at her throughout the party without actually talking to her.

The party was winding down when Eichi came up to him and gave him a look half disappointed and half annoyed.

"What?" Van asked.

"You're not going to say anything? You're not going to do anything?"

"What do you except me to do?" Van asked, his voice sharp. "You think if I ask her to compose for HEAVENS she'll drop STARISH and come here? No chance."

Eichi put a hand to his forehead and sighed, shaking his head. "You ignorant fool. Have you not noticed how many times Haruka has looked over at you? She's noticed that you haven't talked to her and she doesn't understand why. You two have grown closer. Her eyes light up when she sees you. She's more animated when she talks about music with you then she is with the rest of us. Are you really going to let her leave with her thinking you're upset with her?"

Van opened his mouth to talk, but nothing came out. He flushed as he closed his mouth. How could he have been so stupid? _Of course_ Haruka would think it was weird for him to not talk to her. How could he do something like that to her?

His eyes searched the room for her and he saw her going out on the balcony by herself.

"Excuse me," he said, taking a few steps. Then he looked back to say, "Thanks, Eichi."

Outside he found Haruka leaning against the balcony and staring up the stars. She looked over when she heard him and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled uncertainly at him.

"Hi," he said lamely, scratching the back of his head.

"Hi," she said quietly before looking up at the sky again. She sighed. "It's been a lot of fun working with HEAVENS. It feels a little strange to be going home tomorrow."

"We'll miss you," Van assured her, still staring at Haruka. Now was the time to say something if he was going to, but did he dare ask her out again? Would she think that he wasn't respecting her feelings if he did?

He came up next to her and put his hand by hers on the railing so that they were touching. She glanced down, a blush on her cheeks, but didn't move her hand.

"I…love working with you, Haruka," Van said. His voice felt thick and he hoped he sounded normal. He wished his heart would stop pounding. It wasn't like him to be nervous like this. "I love _being_ with you. You're an amazing composer and I love the songs we've done together, but my favorite part of this month has been spending time with you."

"I've…really enjoyed it too," Haruka said. She turned to look at him. "You always have so much energy, and you're always so cheerful and optimistic." She smiled. "It makes me happy to be around you."

"Will you miss me?" He asked without thinking.

Haruka looked surprised, then looked down at their hands next to each other. Wordlessly, she nodded. Van felt relieved and encouraged. That was a good sign.

"Well…there's not much need for that, you know," he said carefully. "We could still see each other…" She looked at him in her innocent way and he felt himself blushing. "I mean…" he trailed off again. Steeling himself, he took Haruka's hands in his and turned her toward him. "What I mean, Ha-chan, is…will you be my girlfriend? I know how much music means to you. It's the center of my life, too. And I know how much STARISH means to you. All of them are amazing and I respect them a lot as musicians, but…I also really want you in my life. And not as someone I see occasionally, but as someone who's there all the time."

"Van," Haruka said, her eyes widening in surprise and her hands tightening around his.

Van felt like he could feel each individual heartbeat as he stared at Haruka, waiting for her answer.

"I-I…" Haruka's face turned the reddest he'd ever seen it and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I want to be with you too!" She exclaimed. "I was thinking about not being with you on weekend nights anymore and not seeing you every day and it made me so sad…I want you in my life too."

Unable to help himself anymore, Van pulled Haruka closer and kissed her. Haruka made a noise of surprise before her arms went up to wrap around his neck. Van put one hand on her lower back to draw her closer, wrapping the other in her hair.

Finally, he pulled back to smile down at her. "I love you, Ha-chan."

"I-I love you too, Van."

 **Next Weekend**

Van almost paused in his walk up to the STARISH mansion to pick up Haruka. Not because the sight of Haruka was so stunning (though she did look beautiful, of course), but because of what _else_ waited for him. All the members of STARISH lined up behind her with _very_ unhappy looks on their faces.

He tried to not pay attention to them as he walked towards Haruka. A small part of him felt sorry for STARISH. He knew how some of them felt about Haruka and it would suck to watch the girl you care for be with someone else, but Van's sympathy only extended so far. There was a verybig difference between him and STARISH. He had told Haruka his feelings for her and they had not. In the end, the best man won as far as he was concerned.

"Ha-chan," he greeted, reaching for her hands.

"Hi, Van," she said, smiling brightly.

Otoya cleared his throat, bringing Van's attention to him. He eyes were harder than Van had ever seen on the normally cheerful red-head. "We expect her back by ten," he declared.

Van's mouth twitched and he fought against a smile. Was STARISH going to take on the role of father since they'd missed out on the role of boyfriend?

"And I trust that you will take _very_ good care of our lady," Ren said, resting his hands on Haruka's shoulders. Van's eyebrow twitched. Ren's possessive way of talking about Haruka irritated him, but Van told himself to be the bigger man.

"Of course," Van agreed, gently pulling Haruka away from Ren and into his arms. "I know how to treat a lady." He lifted Haruka's chin and smiled down at her. "And now that I've got the best one I'm certainly not going to let her go."

Haruka blushed and Syo's eyes narrowed. "Don't forget you have our numbers if you need anything, Haruka," Syo reminded her. "We're always happy to help you. With anything. At any time."

Van sweat dropped and decided it was time to get Haruka out of here before things got any more awkward.

"Right," he said, steering Haruka away from the mansion. "It was nice seeing you all, but we've got to go now. Bye."

"I'll you see you all later," Haruka called over her shoulder, waving merrily at STARISH.

At his car, Van opened Haruka's door before going around to the other side. He paused before starting the car and turned to Haruka. "Haruka, just so that we're perfectly clear, this _is_ a date."

Haruka smiled at him and he started the car and drove away.

 **A/N:** I'm not 100% sure I'll write the other Uta No Prince-Sama fanfic I mentioned, but if I do it'll probably be up some time in the next couple weeks.


End file.
